Cheslin Kolbe makes frank Springboks admission despite side ...

Springboks wizard Cheslin Kolbe believes his side are in “a good place” after a stellar 2024 Test season, but still feels they are not the complete package just yet. 

Rassie Erasmus’ charges have only lost two games in the entirety of this year’s campaign, and in that time have also won their first Rugby Championship title since 2019.

Speaking to Planet Rugby after his side’s 29-20 win over England at Allianz Stadium – in which he was named Player of the Match – Kolbe opened up on the year the Boks have had, and also pointed out the development of younger players through the side in 2024.

“It’s rugby, every season is different, but as a Springbok team and as a country we are in a good place. There is so much young talent coming through, and that’s a blessing to see,” he said.

He added: “For us, we need to make sure we’re giving our experience back to the guys getting their first cap to make them feel comfortable and go out on the field and express themselves.”

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“In this team, it doesn’t matter if you have 130 caps or you’re winning your first cap, we treat everyone as equals.”

The Springboks’ culture and environment has been widely applauded as arguably the best in the modern game, but it has a strangely club-like feel to it.

Erasmus has deployed 50 different players so far this year for the Springboks, with Wilco Louw the latest player to earn a cap after his return to the side against England, and Kolbe highlighted just how “special” it is to be involved in this current environment.

“This environment is special,” he told Planet Rugby. “It’s something the coaches have developed and the players have just bought into.”

He added: “For us, it’s about making sure we don’t just do the jersey proud but do South Africa proud because we know what this means back home. It’s always a massive honour to wear this Green and Gold jersey.”

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Whilst he was full of praise for the current outlook of his team, he was also quick to point out they aren’t the finished article yet.

“We’re not perfect, at all,” he said. “There are a lot of things we need to work on, but that’s the beauty of it, you get another opportunity to be a better rugby player and a better team.”

Luckily for Kolbe and the rest of the Springboks, they have one final chance to fix those issues, as they prepare for one last outing in 2024 as they face Wales next weekend at the Principality Stadium.

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